Bighorn Sheep

Snow, Bighorn – 11/18/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles

The Santa Catalina Mountains had a fantastic Winter Storm early this week – over two inches of snow! The weather has already warmed up this week so we will have to wait for later storms to bring lasting snow to the mountain. Greg McGowan posted my favorite picture from this storm on his Facebook page, PCSD: Catalina Highway closed at base of Mt. Lemmon (of course, now open…) – Tucson News Now, ‘Winter Wonderland’ after snowstorm hits Mt. Lemmon – KVOA.com, A great shot of driving conditions from the PCSD.

While the snow didn’t hang around it will add to the water flowing on the mountain, the canyons should be beautiful! A quick shot from Soldier Canyon, not far from Hairpin Turn:

A beautiful small set of falls a few minutes up Soldier Canyon from Hairpin Turn. November 2015.
A beautiful small set of falls a few minutes up Soldier Canyon from Hairpin Turn. November 2015.

29 Bighorn Sheep from the Yuma area were released into the Santa Catalina Mountains on Monday 11/16/2015 – one captured Bighorn was not released and as of Monday was in a clinic in Phoenix due to possible “capture exhaustion” – probably the most interesting quote was from the AZGF Facebook page:

This was the last of the three planned releases to restore the historic herd that once existed in the area. Department biologists and the advisory committee that oversees the project will now monitor the population to determine if it can become self-sustaining on its own.

29 More Desert Bighorn Sheep Released in Santa Catalinas – AZPM, More bighorn sheep released in Catalinas today – Arizona Daily Star.

Bighorn Pneumonia, No UFOs, LWCF, Weather – 10/6/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

On 9/21 the carcass of Bighorn ewe ID 37442 was found in the Santa Catalina Mountains – a field necropsy showed signs of pneumonia. This is the 5th recent death – none of which have been attributed to predators – 3 of which have been linked to pneumonia in laboratory tests. While earlier deaths prompted AZGF to take a “take a wait and see attitude” about a November release of Bighorn in the Santa Catalina Mountains (source) it now appears that the pneumonia has been assessed as  “limited” and the November release is still planned. AZGF is “looking at bringing animals from a herd with prior exposure to pneumonia.” The latest updates from the project are available here – also see Another bighorn dies in Catalinas — apparently of pneumonia – Arizona Daily Star.

Storms result in rescue, outages, closures, evacuation – Tucson News Now: The article mentions rocks on the highway up the mountain in the recent storms – note that in almost every wet storm some rocks – perhaps small – will be on the highway, they are usually cleared remarkably quickly but in wet weather some extra caution is advised.

Tucson’s UFO Mystery Revealed – Huffpost Weird News: The recent UFO Videos shot from the Sabino Canyon area have been debunked – the lights appear to have been from human activity on the mountain…

Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: National Public Lands Day on September 26th – KVOA.com: Every year National Public Lands Day often features waived fees and good opportunities to volunteer!

Congress must renew the Land & Water Conservation Fund – Arizona Daily Star: A letter about the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Established in 1965 and primarily funded by royalties on offshore oil and gas drilling the fund provides money for the acquisition of land for recreation and protection. Unfortunately this fund was not reauthorized (as of 10/6/2015) (The Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition and Congress Lets Sun Set on Land and Water Conservation Fund) – while it is possible it will be reauthorized it seems like it will be more difficult now…

Cloud Road named for family with long Tucson history – Arizona Daily Star: Some great historic details about the Cloud Family who purchased property along Sabino Canyon in 1910.

Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: Mount Lemmon’s Wilderness of Rock Trail – KVOA.com: Video and commentary on the Wilderness of Rocks Trail.

Monsoon brings greenery, flowing streams, wildflowers – Arizona Daily Star: A great quote from Frank Rose – “This has been one of the best monsoons I have seen in 33 years of hiking the Catalinas — bringing a great variety and quantity of flowers, some into their second bloom of the year”.

Highway up Mt Lemmon back open following crash – Tucson News Now: A vehicle/motorcycle crash.

Canyon View Elementary placed on brief lockdown due to mountain lion sighting – KVOA.com: the school across from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center has a mountain lion sighting.

Four figures in the fog — hiking Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon – The Spectrum: A nice write up of a hike on the Marshall Gulch Trail and Aspen Trail on a stormy day.

AZ Game and Fish: Reward offered in poaching of two javelinas – Tucson News Now: Two javelina were found in Tucson – NW of Grant and Swan and near Cloud and Sabino – both shot by an arrow. AZGF said: “There is no archery javelina hunt open at this time, so we are investigating these incidents as illegal take of wildlife.”

 

Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:

Another Bighorn Death, Stars, Comets – 8/28/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

The latest update from the Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project includes information on the recent death of ewe #37444. The update mentions samples being collected for disease testing – it will be interesting to find out if this death is attributed to Pneumonia since that was identified as a cause in the previous 3 mortalities – from the update:

The carcass of ewe #37444 was discovered by Department biologists on the afternoon of August 24 after they got a VHF mortality signal. The GPS component of her collar had not uploaded her location since August 21, and it did not send a mortality signal. However, Department staff had been monitoring her decreased movement patterns over the preceding days and surmised she was likely sick. Her carcass was found at her last known location from August 21, and there were no signs of predation. Samples were collected from the carcass for disease testing.


Ewe #37444 was captured in the Tonto National Forest in 2014. She had a lamb early this year, but it would have been independent by now.

The update also includes information from recent sightings verifying that 9 of the 16 lambs born in the Santa Catalina Mountains this year are still alive and mentions that the “typical lamb survival in desert bighorn sheep is about 25 percent”.

 

Adam Block – Beautiful shots creating star trails from the UA Sky Center: M11: Concentric Contemplation, Concentric Contemplation (video), Star trails captured from Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter – Tucson News Now.

The Catalina Comet! The credit for this 2013 discovery goes to R. A. Kowalski and the Catalina Sky Survey – this comet was featured as the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day on August 18, 2015 – more information on the comet can be found here. Look up and see Comet Catalina, discovered right here in Arizona – Tucson News Now.

Man arrested after dog’s paws burned on hike – Arizona Daily Star: A man was “charged with felony cruelty to animals after volunteers from the Southern Arizona Rescue Association had to carry out his dog, Ranger, from three miles up the trail.”

Bowden, Rescues, 16th Lamb – 4/19/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles

Mt. Lemmon center renaming considered for author Bowden, Patrick McNamara, Arizona Daily Star  – The Pima County Board of Supervisors is considering renaming the Mount Lemmon Community Center after well-known author Charles Bowden who passed away in 2014. Bowden’s Frog Mountain Blues is about the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Hikers were rescued after dehydration ended a hike up the mountain on the Sutherland Trail – high temperatures and scarce water this time of year are worthy of caution and careful planning. UPDATE: Two hikers rescued from Catalina State Park, Colton Shone and Shelley Shelton, Tucson News Now; Two hikers rescued from Catalina State Park, Arizona Daily Star; Hikers rescued on Sunday after potentially life-threatening situation, Domenica Fuller, KVOA.com.

Hiker rescue underway near Sabino Canyon, Jackie Kent, Tucson News Now – “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said a 73-year-old man with a possible leg injury is about six miles up a trail at Esperero Canyon.”

Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project March 26 through April 8, 2015 – Another lamb has been reported to bring the total to 16 for the season!

 

 

Campground Changes, 1922, Upchurch, Lambs, Rescue Season – 4/9/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

The summer heat has started and the winter rains are starting to be harder to remember – as in all recent years the forest service is encouraging caution during fire season – no restrictions yet… National forest officials urge caution with fire, April 02, 2015, Douglas Kreutz.

With warmer temperatures coming the lower campgrounds are closing and the upper ones are opening – Mt Lemmon seasonal campground changes, 

Tales from the Morgue: Deer and mountain lions, March 23, Johanna Eubank, Arizona Daily Star – A fascinating look back at an Arizona Daily Star article from 1922 – for 4 years the ‘Catalina Game Reserve’ had been closed to hunting in a reaction to game becoming scarce – the 1922 article reports “The advantage of the game reserve is strikingly illustrated, forest officials state, by the increase of game in this district, since sportsmen had almost exhausted the game here before the reserve was closed four years ago”.

Southern Arizona Utility Company Reports Sufficient Water For Now, Tony Paniagua, KGUN9, March 23, 2015 – From the Mount Lemmon Water District – “the water supply is currently doing well, thanks to a few inches of rain in recent weeks and one snowfall of about eight to 10 inches.”

Upchurch promoted to forester for Southwest Region, Derek Jordan, Herald/Review, [email protected] – Jim Upchurch,  formerly Coronado National Forest Supervisor, is moving to a position as a deputy regional forester for the Southwestern Region. Issues that Upchurch dealt with in the Coronado National Forest include the Rosemont Mine and Tombstone Water Pipelines. 

Bighorn lambs in the Santa Catalina Mountains have been in the news with the count up to 15! Project status updates continue to emphasize that it is unlikely all of the lambs will survive and the importance of the restrictions in place in the Bighorn Sheep Management Area.

Backpacking Romero Canyon, Kurt Papke – a video including some of the great areas above Romero Pools on the Romero Canyon Trail.

‘Search and rescue’ season is underway, April 08, 2015, Caitlin Schmidt, Arizona Daily Star – The Pima County Sheriff’s Department warns that in this “season that can be dangerous and leads to an increase in search and rescue operations”. In the past two months rescue and injury reports include the Phoneline, Romero Canyon, Blackett’s Ridge, Bear Canyon, Pima Canyon, Seven Falls, Ventana Canyon and Finger Rock Trails…

Coronado National Forest – Facebook Page!